Knighton Town’s promotion to the Lock Stock Ardal North East league has been confirmed following ratification by the Football Association of Wales’ National Leagues Board.

The Radnor Robins will return to the third tier of Welsh football for the first time since the 2018/19 season.

Knighton Town secured the championship title in the MMP with Norman Lloyd Central Wales League (South) after a dominant season, suffering just one league defeat. That loss came in the final match of the campaign when they were due to receive the championship trophy. The Bryn-y-Castell side went down 3-0 to runners-up Ffostrasol Wanderers, ending a remarkable 31-match unbeaten run.

Despite the last-game setback, celebrations were undiminished as Knighton Town clinched their first regional league title since 1991/92, when they secured promotion after a dramatic final-day shoot-out against Morda United. Notably, current manager Harry Stokes’ father played for the club during that historic campaign, and hopes are high that Stokes will lead the club to similar success.

This season, Knighton Town won 27 and drew four of their 32 league games, scoring a staggering 155 goals and conceding just 32 before their final defeat. The club’s last spell in the third tier was during the 2018/19 season, which ended prematurely after a series of defeats and the resignation of then player/manager Mark Jones.

Stokes, who took charge two years ago, recently told Welsh football website Y Clwb Pel-droed that chairman Gary Cooper had a five-year plan to restore Knighton Town to the third tier following their withdrawal from the Mid Wales League First Division in 2018/19.

In Stokes’ first season, the club finished in the top half of the league. This season, the squad was strengthened by experienced signings including former Aberystwyth Town and Newtown forward Luke Boundford, ex-Llanidloes Town striker Connor Bird, and Taylor Wozencraft from Radnor Valley. Wozencraft was a key player, contributing 30 goals and 17 assists. He was supported by Callum Stead (23 goals) and Boundford (22 goals).

However, Stokes emphasised that around 70 per cent of the squad were already at the club when he took over and have been integral to the promotion journey.

Looking ahead, Stokes is feeling optimistic about the upcoming campaign at the higher level but is not naive to think that his side will repeat their heroics of the title success. He added that the main target is to stay up at the conclusion of the Radnor Robins' first season back at this level and to build over the course of the next five years.

The squad received a further boost with the signing of Newtown legend Shane Sutton, who returns to his hometown club following Newtown’s relegation from the JD Cymru Premier last season. Central defender, Sutton leaves Newtown where he has etched himself as a club legend with more than 300 appearances in the JD Cymru Premier as well as being involved in several European campaigns for the side. As well as this, Sutton further enjoyed a two-and-a-half year spell with AFC Telford.

The club has also added two goalkeepers, Ben Davies and Liam Griffiths, in preparation for the new campaign.

Knighton Town will begin their pre-season preparations with a friendly match against Llanidloes Town at Bryn-y-Castell this coming Friday evening, kicking off at 7:30pm.